Lifesaving apparatus



Nov. 22, 1938. w, WALTERS 2,137,468

LIFESAVING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 8, 1957 Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to life saving apparatus and among other objects, aims to provide improved buoys whose buoyancy is maintained even when they are battered or punctured. The pres- 5 ent application is a division of my pending application Serial No. 116,607 filed December 18, 1936, and provides improvements in the buoys patented by me on January 10, 1922, No. 1,403,362 and on August 4, 1936, No. 2,050,138. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by referring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which-- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a buoy made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same with some of the walls broken away to show the interior construction; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are perspectivewiews, with parts broken away, showing two forms of buoyant cells which may be employed in the buoy of Fig. 2.

through the rings I3 and also through loops l5- which are welded or otherwise secured to the sides of the buoy. The rope l4 preferably passes around the entire length of the buoy on each side may be grasped by a person swimming in the water.

While the described buoy may be hollow, this is a disadvantageous construction if the buoy should be pierced or have its walls broken, because even a small hole will cause the buoy to be flooded, whereupon its efficiency is lost. Therefore, in accordance with the invention, I divide the buoy into a series of sealed compartments or cells any one of which, if flooded, would only slightly diminish the buoyancy of the buoy as a whole.

In Fig. 2 there is shown the preferred arrangement, wherein the buoy has a multiplicity of hollow buoyant cells l6 which are sealed 011 from each other and from the interior of the hollow buoy body [0, l l within which the cells are placed. As shown in Fig. 3, each of the cells l6 has a central aperture I! through which rod I 2 thereof and provides a convenient means whichmay pass to hold each cell properly relative to the other cells. The cells l6 preferably are more or less cylindrical and lie at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the buoy as shown in Fig. 2. However, the cells located within the conical end portions II have frusto-conical outer walls, so as to fit snugly against the inside walls of said end portions II. It will be clear that the described buoy may be subjected to considerable abuse and may be pierced at a number of points, without losing more than a small fraction of its buoyancy. Buoys are often used on nets or lines surrounding bathing areas and when so used, are quite conspicuous objects and attract the attention of mischievous and thoughtless persons who like to employ the buoys as targets for pistol and rifle practice when there is no guard or officer in sight. Thus, the described buoy will be, quite useful at public bathing beaches and wherever life saving apparatus may be used.

The hollow cell of Fig. 3 is preferably made of some light, non-rusting metal such as copper, duralumin, aluminum, thin steel plate (tin, chromium, etc.) or the like. Instead of a metal, some synthetic plastic such as Celluloid, Pyralin, Tenite, Ameroid, Alladinite, Bakelite or Catalin may be employed.

The hollow cell of Fig. 4 has a hollow internal member is coated or otherwise covered with a plastic synthetic material forming the covering l9 to provide a hard, tough, durable, waterproof protective covering. If preferred, the hollow cell of Fig. 4 may be made of vulcanized rubber, that is, an outer heavy rubber casing and an inner cell of high grade rubber (similar to the inner tube of a bicycle) may be employed.

Obviously the present invention may be embodied in several forms neither shown nor described, and many materials, other than those named, may be employed in making the buoys and their principal parts.

Having described an embodiment of the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A buoy comprising a body which is hollow and whose walls are impervious to water; and a plurality of buoyant cells substantially completely filling the interior of the body; each of said cells comprising a heavy rubber casing and an inner cell of high grade rubber which is capable of being inflated.

HENRY W. WALTERS. 

